Impervious compressed-fluid container



Alli-Til 1930. A. c. B ADG ER 1,753,259

IMPERVIOUS COMPRESSED' FLUID CONTAINER Original Filed Feb 15, 1924 a/ I a, i T

l. I l .l I I L A;

I Iii/ml??? Patented Apr. 8, 1930 ATENT OFFICEv ARTHUR G. BADGER, OF NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS 'IMPERVIOUS COMPRESSED-FLUID CONTAIN-EB,

Original application filed. February 13, 1924, Serial No. 692,468. Divided and this application flied. Oct ber The present invention relates to containers for enveloping and confining a charge of highly compressed gas, or a substance in the liquid state which is a gas at ordinary temperatures and at atmospheric pressure, and to the article of manufacture consisting of such a container with its enclosed charge.

The object of the invention is to provide as an article of manufactureand commerce such a filled or charged container,'having continuous, integral and homogeneous walls imperillustrative and not to imply a limitation in the character .or scope of the lnventi'on or of the protection which I claim. However, as

the use in connection w1th fire extinguishers is v the largest and most important use which I have had in mind in devising the invention, I will in the following explanation describe its value and advantages in connectionwith that character of use. I

The fire extinguishers to which I have had reference are those which are provided for emergency use, charged and in condition to discharge their contents by suitable manipulation on the partof the user. In the past these extinguishers have generally, and practically universally, been charged with water and two reagents adapted, when mixed, to generate gas, one of the reagents being d1ssolved in the charge of water, and the other being contained, and segregated from the other, in a separate bottle.

One great defect of the fire extinguisher charges heretofore used is that the water solution or charge containing one of the reagents is liable to freeze in cold weather,

' wherefore such extinguishers cannot be relied predictable.

Serial No. 64bit.-

upon in circumstances where they are liable to be exposed to very low temperatures, for instance, temperatures below 28 F. Attempts have been made to overcome this defect, including, among others, the provision of gasforming reagents separate from the liquid charge, and the use as such liquid charge of a non-freezing liquid, or one which will not freeze except at a temperature much below that above stated. Such attempts have not been successful, however, owing to the difficulty of effecting a rapid enough mingling of the reagents at the time of use of the extinguisher to generate a sufficient pressure of gas.

to project a stream of the liquid to the required distance away from the extinguisher, and with the required force,'before the liquid charge has become largely exhausted.

Another mode of attempting to overcome v the difficulty has been to use, instead of gasforming reagents, a charge of highly compressed gas, confined in a capsule, placed within the extinguisher together with a nonfreezing and non-inflammable liquid, and release the gas at the time of use by puncturing or rupturing the capsule; the released gas being then instantly effective to expel the liquid under the prescnbed pressure. This-method also has been unsatisfactory in practice, because-hitherto no way has been found to make the capsules leakage tight, and they soon lose' much of their contents and pressure by leakage, and become useless. There is so much variation between the capsules, even though filled and closed with the utmost care by the methods heretofore practiced, that the length of time which any of them can retain its charge without substantial diminution'is un- It is usually relatively short, however, and there have been so many instances of extinguishers supplied with capsules of this kind failing-to operate in time of emergency that the use of such capsules has been discredited, and is disapproved by the fire underwriters.

It has been my object to provide a container or cartridge adapted'to confine a charge of as under extremely high pressure, or a lique ed gas, with complete imperviousness, and therefore immunityfrom leakage. I have accom- No. 692,468, and fire 5 thereof, is inserted into an plished this object by making such containersof metal (steel or iron preferably) and filling them under pressure,- and then closing them autogenously by electrical welding, while surrounded by the same compressed or hquefied gas with which they are filled, under the same pressure as the charge within the container. The finished article is an enclosed hollow metal container or cartridge filled with a compressed charge and having continuous and homogeneous integral enveloping walls, without any opening orcrevice through which leakage of the charge can take place.

Such article or product forms the subject of the present invention and that for which I claim protection herein. I have previously disclosed this article in my applications for Letters Patent of the United States identified, respectively, as method and apparatus for creating abnormal pressure in and sealing hollow bodies, filed Febraury 13, 1924, Serial extinguishers, filed October 31, 1924, Serial No. 747,010, and the present subject matter is a division of both of.

said prior applications.

Referring to the drawings for a more particular illustration of the present subject matter, the two figures there contained show, each partly in elevation and partly in section, specifically different forms of container or cartridge or bottle, both embodying the same essential invention.

Each form of the invention thus illustrated is a unitary structure consisting of a body a, 35

and a cap or cover I) in welded union. In the manufacture of this structure, the originally separate body and cap having been placed in contact, and having been filled with the compressed gas, are heated to welding heat at their adjacent contacting portions by passage of an electric current of a voltage and amperage, suitable forwelding, (the values of which are well known by those skilled in the electric welding art), and while hot and soft, are pressed together suddenly under suflicient pressure. The-method and means which I preferably employ for thus filling the container and electrically welding its cover.

to its body portion are described in my prior application, Serial No. 692,468, and may be briefly set forth as follows,

reference being directed to said application for a complete description thereof. The body part of the container, or at least the mouth or open end enclosed chamber 1 to which the compressed or liquefied gas for charging the cartridge is supplied at the reuired, pressure, and from which such gas ows freely into the cartridge. The cap also is located within such chamber. The cartridge body, and cap, being in connection respectively with the electrodes of an electric welding apparatus, are welded together while in the enclosed chamber and while enveloped -rosion such as would in the charging fluid maintained at-the same pressure as that under which it is forced into the cartridge to charge the latter. The weld thus made is completed and the electric current shut off, so quickly that the heat, thus y the pressure of the charging fluid in the cartridge and in the space surrounding the cartridge; but whatever increase in pressure is thereby caused is applied equally externally as well as internally of the cartridge. Hence loss of any part of the charge in the cartridge, or of the after filling and prior to or during the welding operatlon, is efiectivelyprevented.

Upon completion of the Weld, the trace of which is indicated at c in the drawings, the body and cover becomes an integral unit having continuous, homogeneous and impervious walls completely surrounding and enveloping the interior space and confining the charge of compressed or liquefied gas within such space. There is no crack, crevice, hole or passage, however minute, between the :inte'rior space and the outside of the container through which the confined charge can leak, from which it follows that the contained tity and without reduction of pressure for as long a period as may intervene between the time of sealing and the time of use, even though such period be one of months or years; provided the article is properly protected or safeguarded from accidental injury or corpuncture, fracture or weaken its walls. 7

The material or materials of which such containers are made are necessarily such as can be joined by electric welding; and any materials capable of being so joined may be used. I have used, and prefer, iron or mild steel as the material of both the body and the cap.

The differences between the two forms of cartridge here shown are of minor details in form. That shown in Fig. lis constructed of two original pieces, each substantially cylindrical in form, with a head or wall at one end and open at the other end, the sidewalls and end of each being formed out of the same piece of stock;-'both pieces being of the same diameter, but the one which forms the body being much longer than the one which forms the cap. In the-form shown in Fig. 2, the

body has a form more like the conventional design of a bottle, and its neck-portion is provided withan external thread being cut preferably prior to making the integral union between the originally separate body and cover. Here also, however, the

generated is insufficient to increase material' pressure of such charge,-

7, such thread.

charge remains intact, undiminished in quanerably in all other possible forms, one end wall is reduced in thickness in a relatively narrow area 9- to facilitate puncturing by a suitable tool in order to release the confined charge.

Obviously many diiferent designs of article embodying the same invention may be made without departure from the scope of my invention. and protection.

The pressures to which the charges of gas herein contemplated may be compressed and confined are practically unlimited; that is, practicallythe only limit is the strength of the enveloping walls of the cartridge or container; while such walls may be made of suflicient thickness to confine gas under any pressure desired without danger of rupture. That is, to be more explicit, the pressures may be in the order of hundreds, or even thousands ofpounds per square inch, and when confined in a container made with sufiiciently strong walls, and welded as hereinydescribed,'such confined charges will be, retained without diminution. Charged cartridges may be placed in. fire extinguishers and left there for months or years in full confidence and assurance that whenever an emergency arises requiring use of the extinguisher, the necessary quantity of gas under suflicient pres-' sure will be at hand ready to perform its expected service; and reserve supplies of filled cartridges may be stored away to be used or dispensed as occasion may require, and will remain serviceable provided they are properly safeguarded against corrosion or accidental injury.

Without intending to indicate limits of dimensions, proportions and pressures, but forv illustration, merely, I may say that'sealed cartridges suitable for use in fire extinguishers portable by hand, may be made according to this invention in lengths of about six inches, and in cylindrical form of diameters about one inch or three-quarters of an inch, and filled with liquefied carbon dioxide under a pressure of about eight hundred pounds per square inch. For extinguishers having 40 gallon tanks, cartridges about twelve inches long by about three and one-half'inches in diameter, and charged to the same pressure are suitable.

What-I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A gas container or cartridge adapted to serve as a source of fluid pressure containing a compressed charge of matter which is a gas at ordinary atmospheric temperature and pressure, composed of an originally separate metal body'and cover which have been integrally and-homogeneously welded together with the charge inside ,them and conjointly forming an 'imperforate shell completely enveloping such charge.

2; A metallic cartridge of tlfi character described having continuous, sustant'lally haper square inch the walls thereof being ofthe same metallic material throughout, autogenously sealed while enclosing such charge and of a thickness adapted for withstanding high pressure. I f

4. A hollow structure having a difi'erent internal pressure from the atmosphere and formed of originally separate body and cap members entirely surrounding and enclosing the interior space, both said members having lateral walls of similar dimensions in aline ment edge to edge with one another, being otherwiseimperforate, and having been welded together leakage-tight while suchpressure difference existed. n

5. An appliance for association and use with fire extinguishing apparatus as a source of gaseous pressure for expelling the liquid contents thereof, comprising a-metal shell formed from a hollow body closed and autogenously sealed while containing a highly compressed charge of matter which is gaseous at atmospheric pressure and usual atmospheric temperatures; said shell constituting a substantially homogeneous and completely imperforate wall enveloping said charge.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature. 1 I

ARTHUR C. BADGER.

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